﻿Vol.2] 
  INCA 
  CULTURE 
  — 
  ROWE 
  257 
  

  

  well-established 
  dynasties, 
  such 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Ayamarca, 
  whose 
  ruler 
  

   was 
  called 
  Tocay 
  Capac. 
  (Levillier 
  (1940, 
  pp. 
  207-220) 
  is 
  a 
  con- 
  

   venient 
  collection 
  of 
  references.) 
  

  

  POLITICAL 
  ORGANIZATION 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  strict 
  division 
  between 
  this 
  and 
  the 
  preceding 
  section. 
  

   As 
  the 
  Inca 
  rule 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  monarchial 
  principle, 
  it 
  is 
  proper 
  

   to 
  start 
  with 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  imperial 
  office. 
  

  

  The 
  Emperor. 
  — 
  The 
  Inca 
  Emperors 
  were 
  absolute 
  rulers 
  with 
  power 
  

   checked 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  ancient 
  custom 
  and 
  the 
  fear 
  of 
  revolt. 
  

   They 
  not 
  only 
  ruled 
  by 
  divine 
  right, 
  but 
  claimed 
  lineal 
  descent 
  from 
  

   the 
  Sun 
  and 
  were 
  worshiped 
  as 
  divine 
  during 
  their 
  lifetimes. 
  While 
  

   the 
  Emperor 
  and 
  his 
  government 
  were 
  merciless 
  toward 
  their 
  enemies 
  

   and 
  demanded 
  an 
  obedience 
  which 
  amounted 
  to 
  virtual 
  slavery 
  from 
  

   their 
  subjects, 
  they 
  were 
  in 
  theory 
  obliged 
  to 
  care 
  for 
  their 
  people 
  in 
  

   every 
  sort 
  of 
  need 
  and 
  keep 
  them 
  comfortable 
  and 
  happy. 
  This 
  

   obligation 
  is 
  reflected 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  their 
  laws 
  and 
  illustrated 
  by 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  anecdotes. 
  The 
  unquestionable 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  system 
  is 
  due 
  chiefly 
  

   to 
  a 
  sincere 
  effort 
  by 
  the 
  Imperial 
  Government 
  to 
  live 
  up 
  to 
  its 
  theo- 
  

   retical 
  obligation. 
  (See 
  Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  12, 
  ch. 
  26; 
  Garcilaso, 
  1723, 
  

   pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  5, 
  ch. 
  2; 
  Cieza, 
  1880, 
  bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  65.) 
  

  

  Each 
  Emperor 
  kept 
  a 
  large 
  harem 
  of 
  secondary 
  wives 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  

   to 
  the 
  principal 
  wife 
  (qoya), 
  who 
  was 
  in 
  earlier 
  times 
  the 
  daughter 
  of 
  

   some 
  neighboring 
  ruler, 
  but, 
  from 
  the 
  reign 
  of 
  Topa 
  Inca, 
  was 
  always 
  

   the 
  Emperor's 
  full 
  sister. 
  Consequently, 
  each 
  ruler 
  had 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  offspring, 
  all 
  of 
  whom 
  enjoyed 
  positions 
  of 
  respect 
  and 
  priv- 
  

   ilege. 
  The 
  descendants 
  in 
  the 
  male 
  line 
  of 
  each 
  Emperor 
  formed 
  a 
  

   royal 
  ayllu, 
  and 
  were 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  upkeep 
  of 
  their 
  royal 
  ancestor's 
  

   palace 
  and 
  the 
  support 
  of 
  his 
  cult. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Con- 
  

   quest, 
  there 
  were 
  11 
  royal 
  ayllus 
  in 
  Cuzco, 
  6 
  in 
  the 
  Upper 
  Moiety 
  and 
  

   5 
  in 
  the 
  Lower. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  the 
  "descendants 
  of 
  

   Manco 
  Capac" 
  in 
  the 
  male 
  line 
  must 
  have 
  numbered 
  about 
  500. 
  

   There 
  were 
  some 
  567 
  living 
  descendants 
  in 
  1603, 
  after 
  the 
  massacres 
  

   of 
  the 
  civil 
  wars 
  and 
  the 
  bad 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  Colony 
  (Garcilaso, 
  

   1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  9, 
  ch. 
  40). 
  The 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Emperor's 
  family 
  

   formed 
  a 
  useful 
  court 
  circle 
  of 
  educated 
  men 
  trained 
  in 
  the 
  imperial 
  

   ideology, 
  and 
  interested 
  in 
  its 
  perpetuation. 
  The 
  emperors 
  chose 
  their 
  

   top 
  administrators 
  from 
  this 
  group 
  when 
  possible. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  no 
  detailed 
  rule 
  of 
  succession 
  to 
  the 
  Imperial 
  stool 
  which 
  

   would 
  function 
  impersonally 
  and 
  predictably 
  to 
  designate 
  the 
  heir 
  in 
  

   any 
  eventuality, 
  and 
  this 
  lack 
  was 
  a 
  great 
  weakness 
  to 
  the 
  Empire 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  invasion. 
  Customarily, 
  the 
  Emperor 
  chose 
  

   the 
  most 
  competent 
  of 
  his 
  sons 
  by 
  his 
  principal 
  wife 
  and 
  trained 
  him 
  

   for 
  the 
  inheritance. 
  The 
  weakness 
  of 
  this 
  system 
  became 
  apparent 
  

   with 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  Huayna 
  Capac, 
  who 
  caught 
  a 
  sudden 
  fever 
  before 
  he 
  

  

  